Vegan Loses More Than 10 Stone After Ditching Diet Of Pizza And Coke

A vegan has lost almost 10 stone after ditching a diet of pizza and fizzy drinks for one of clean eating and working out in the gym.

Harvey Quirke, from Brighton, says he has always struggled with his weight and that it impacted every aspect of his life, from relationship with his girlfriend to avoiding holidays and suffering from panic attacks.

But the 26-year-old has now opened up about his battles with anxiety and a fluctuating waistline to inspire others who may be in the same boat.

In a post to Facebook, he wrote: "I've always been a big boy and struggled with my weight. It caused me to feel very insecure to the point I'd never take my top off and a lot of anxiety stemmed from it.

"To the point I wouldn't want to do things with mates like to to beaches, festivals, holidays, etc. Even now I struggle to find photos as I refrained from being in them.

"I used to eat all the time because I felt anxious and having panic attacks which just became a vicious circle.

Harvey Quirke

"At my heaviest point I was around 20+ stone and I really started to feel it was becoming detrimental for my health, a diet of pizza and two-litre bottles of coke."

Harvey was brought up as a vegetarian by his parents, but five years ago decided to take the next step and become vegan.

However, he still struggled to moderate his eating, restricting himself at one point to just 'one small plate' of food a day, which he says left him feeling drained and his weight to fluctuate.

He told The Mail: "I did it in the most unhealthy way. This was mainly because I felt too insecure to step in a gym and work out in front of people.

"I wouldn't recommend it as I just felt drained mentally and physically. I did this on and off for about six months and lost two stone but then it was put right back on when I went on a binge-eating session."

Inspired by two of his friends, Harvey eventually took the brave step to get back into the gym and started to look at his diet more carefully, making sure he was always getting the right nutrients.

But after suffering the loss of a close friend last year, he began to see his weight rise once again.

Harvey Quirke

However, at the start of this year, Harvey decided enough was enough and that he wanted to take back control of his life and stepped up his training.

"I decided after a very heavy December emotionally and physically where the stress eating and boozing really kicked in that I want to get leaner," he wrote.

"Over the past four-and-a-half months I have been rigorous with tracking my macros, weighing my food and quit boozing for three and a bit months.

"I didn't actually cut anything I enjoyed out of my diet. I still ate junk food here and there as long as it fitted into my macros.

"I'm now 11.5 stone so lost nearly 10 stone in total over the last 2.5 years. I feel I achieved my goal now and guess I can see my abs."

But Harvey was keen to point out this his journey wasn't just about weight, it was about taking care of his mental health.

He added: "I don't think there's anything wrong with being bigger or overweight. If you're happy as you are I think that's great.

"Just for me mentally and physically I had to do it as it was part of the reason for my panic and anxiety attacks."

Topics: Health

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

@SmithersDom